Wentworth Club (East)

Overview: Wentworth East is the oldest of the three eighteen-hole courses at Wentworth Club in Virginia Water, Surrey. The 6,201-yard, par-68 layout occupies heathland within the estate and is more intimate in scale than the tournament-focused West Course. Harry Colt's design uses gently undulating ground, heather, pine and birch to create a round based on angles and placement rather than sheer distance. Fairways can appear inviting, but the best line into a green often depends on the side of the corridor chosen from the tee. The course is private, and its identity should not be confused with Wentworth West, the later Colt course that hosts the BMW PGA Championship. East is a separate historic routing with its own sequence of par threes, heathland carries and quieter woodland passages.

History: Wentworth Club was founded in 1922 after George Tarrant acquired the house and surrounding land. Harry Colt designed the first course, originally called the No. 1 Course and now known as the East Course, in 1924. The same estate later received the West Course, also designed by Colt, but the East remains the earlier routing. In 1926 it hosted the International Match between British and American professionals, an event widely regarded as a forerunner of the Ryder Cup. The course later formed part of Wentworth's wider tournament history, including the 1932 Curtis Cup, while retaining its original place in the estate's golf story.

Did You Know? Samuel Ryder attended the 1926 International Match at Wentworth East. The contest helped inspire the formal biennial competition that became the Ryder Cup, giving this private Surrey course a direct connection to the origin story of one of golf's most important team events.